The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a system enabling different form factor power supplies to be coupled to an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Many information handling systems such as, for example, server devices, switch devices, storage devices, and/or other computing devices known in the art, are designed to provide a variety of different performance levels that may require a variety of different amounts of power. For example a computing device “family” may utilize a common chassis that can be provided with a variety of different components that require various amounts of power in order to provide various associated performance levels. As such, computing devices that are part of the same computing device family may be configured with components that provide the computing device as a “high end” computing device in the computing device family with relatively high power requirements, or with components that provide the computing device as a “low end” computing device in the computing device family with relatively low power requirements.
In general, it is desirable to provide power supply systems in computing devices that have an output capacity that is close to the highest expected load from the computing device, as doing so is cost effective and efficient. However, given the variety of performance levels that computing devices are capable of, and the power requirements associated with those performance levels, this may require the manufacture of a variety of different power supply systems that provide sufficient output capacity for each of the computing devices in the computing device family. As such, computing device manufacturers typically provide the common chassis for a computing device family with a power supply system bay that is dimensioned the same for each computing device configuration available in the common chassis, and the computing device manufacturer or power supply system manufacturers then manufacture a power supply portfolio of power supply systems with a common form factor and different output capacities that are sufficient for the different configurations/performance levels available for computing devices in the computing device family. However, as the disparity between high and low end computing devices in computing device families grows, the output capacity required by power supply systems across the computing device family can exceed several kilowatts. Furthermore, power supply system density is nearing a level where existing power supply system form factors cannot support the higher output capacity needs of high end computing devices, requiring power supply systems to be made larger, or additional power supply systems to be added to those computing devices.
In conventional computing device families, the computing device configuration needing the highest power supply system output capacity is used to set the size of the power supply system bay and associated power supply system form factor, which is necessary to address the higher heat loss, larger magnetics, additional switching devices, and other power supply system components utilized in those high output capacity power supply systems. As a result, computing devices in the computing device family with lower power supply system output capacity requirements are not power density optimized. Furthermore, many computing devices in the computing device family may not require the output capacity required by the higher end computing devices, but may be forced to utilize those higher output capacity power supply systems, as if a smaller form factor is used for the power supply system bay the performance level of computing devices at the higher end of the computing device family will be limited. Thus, the provisioning of scalable power supply system solutions that enable both high performance at competitive cost points is difficult, because as the range of power requirements supported becomes broader, the trade-offs required at the end product lines become more significant. As such, conventional power supply system portfolios are provided to support a single computing device family.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved power supply system.